In July 2026,the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued new regulations:The process of registering the right to operate a business has been shortened from five working days to one day,but 90% of enterprises have had their materials returned for revision due to choosing the wrong agency,delaying customs clearance.Business owners have found that “Process Simplification” ≠ “Simple Handling”——The requirements for material compliance are actually even stricter,and the professionalism of the agency has become the key to success or failure.

The underlying logic of agency selection under the new regulations: a trade-off between efficiency and compliance

The policy changes in 2026 (the filing process being completed within one day and all electronic materials being submitted online) may seem to lower the threshold,but in reality,they place greater demands on agencies.System integration capability and control of material compliancePropose higher requirements.Common pitfalls for enterprises include: only looking at the quotation and ignoring follow-up services (such as tax refund declaration and guidance on customs codes); trusting the promise of "quickly obtaining certificates" but being blacklisted due to fraudulent materials; and mistakenly choosing unqualified "individual agents" resulting in the revocation of their registration.

6-Step Compliance SOP for Cooperation with Import and Export Rights Agencies in 2026

Step 1: Portrait of the enterprise’s needs

Output:

• Businesstype:It’sclearthatitreferstoforeigntradeexports/imports/two-waytrade.(9710/9810),manufacturingenterpriseself-managedexport
• Corerequirements:Isitjustforfiling?Ordoesitincludefull-chainservicessuchaselectronicports,customsdeclarationstamps,andtaxrefundapplications?
• Budgetrange:Distinguishbetweenone-timefees(forfiling)andannualservicefees(forsubsequentservices)

Step 2: Five-dimensional screening by the agency

Output:

• throughthefollowingchannels.Taxsystemverification::LoginCheckwhethertheagencyisontherecordlistandverifyifthebusinessscopeofitsbusinesslicenseincludes"importandexportofgoods".”
• CaseVerification:Itisrequiredtoprovideservicecasesofthreecompaniesinthesameindustrywithinthepastsixmonths(includingthecompanyname,registrationtime,andservicecontent).
• HiddenCostInvestigation:Makeitclearwhetherthequoteincludessubsequentservicessuchasthee-portICcard(about120yuan),annualcustomsdeclaration,andregistrationwiththeforeignexchangeadministrationbureau.
• Emergencyresponsetest:Simulateaconsultation:"Thematerialsareincorrectandneedtoberesubmitted.Canyouassistinprocessingthiswithin24hours?"Recordtheresponsespeed.
• Follow-upServiceCommitment:Doyouofferone-yearfreeconsultation(suchasinterpretationoftaxrefundpoliciesandguidanceoncustomscodeclassification)?

Step 3: Lock in the key provisions of the contract

Output:

• ScopeofServices:Itspecificallyincludes"registrationofforeigntradeoperators","registrationofcustomsdeclarationunits","registrationonthelistofforeignexchangebureaus",and"applicationforane-portcard"(ifapplicable).
• Time-limitedoffer:Underthenewregulations,thefilingprocesstakesoneworkingday.Theagentmustpromisetocompletetheprocesswithintwoworkingdaysafterthesubmissionofthematerials.Foreachdayofdelay,a10%feereductionwillbeapplied.
• RefundPolicy:Thematerialswererejectedduetotheagent’smistake(suchasformaterrorsorinaccurateinformation).Wewillrefundthefullamountandcompensatethecompanyforthelossescausedbythedelay.
• Non-DisclosureAgreement:Itisprohibitedforagentstodisclosetheenterprise’scoredata(suchasthelistofimportedandexportedgoods,customerinformation)

Step 4: Preparation and Submission of Materials

Output:

• Theenterpriseneedstoprovidethefollowing:Scannedcopyofthebusinesslicense(stampedwiththeofficialseal)Thefrontandbacksidesofthelegalperson’sIDcard,thecompany’sarticlesofassociation(includingtheshareholders’investmentinformation),andthecompany’scontactinformation(landlinephonenumber+emailaddress).
• Theagentisrequiredtoassistwiththefollowingtasks:1.Filloutthe"RegistrationFormforForeignTradeOperators"(downloadthetemplatefromtheofficialwebsite;theagentshouldprovideasampleofaproperlycompletedform).2.Completethe"CustomsDeclarationUnitRegistrationForm"(includingthecompany’sChineseandEnglishnames,anditsbusinessscope).
• Submissionpath:Theagentsubmitstheapplicationonlinethroughthe"SingleWindow"ortheMinistryofCommercesystem.Afterreceivingthesystem’sreceiptnotice,theenterpriseneedstotakeascreenshotandkeepitforfuturereference

Step 5: Tracking the progress of the filing and acceptance

Output:

• Progressinquiry:LogintotheMinistryofCommerce’sbusinesssystem(enterpriseside)ortrackitthroughthequerycodeprovidedbytheagent.Thenewregulationsrequirethatthefilingbecompletedwithinoneworkingday
• Acceptancecriteria:Receivedthe"RegistrationFormforForeignTradeOperators"(inpaperorelectronicform),thecustomsfilingreceipt,andtheregistrationcertificatefromtheforeignexchangebureau
• Follow-upconnection:Theagentneedstoassistinopeninganelectronicport(ifrequiredbytheenterprise),guidethefirst-timeentryofcustomsdeclarationforms,andassistintheregistrationofthetaxrebatesystem.

Step 6: Risk assessment and optimization

Output:

• Qualificationreview:Everyquarter,logintotheMinistryofCommercesystemtoconfirmtheregistrationstatusoftheagencytoavoidcooperatingwith"blackagents".
• ServiceQualityEvaluation:Everysixmonths,wewillstatisticallymonitortheresponsetimeofouragencyservices(e.g.whethertheresponsetoconsultationstakesmorethan24hours)andthepassrateofmaterials(whetherthereareanyreworkrequirements).
• Professionalsupport:Threemonthsbeforetheexpirationoftheannualservice,comparethenewmarketquotesandnegotiatearenewaldiscount(forexample,a20%discountforbundlingcustomsdeclarationandtaxrefundservices).

3 invisible risk points that 90% of enterprises overlook

1.The ownership of the electronic port account: Some agents use "shared accounts" to handle customs declarations for enterprises,resulting in the enterprise’s data being monitored by the agent and even facing the risk of being involved in "false trade".It is required that agents apply for separate accounts for enterprises,and the IC card passwords should be set by the enterprises themselves.

2.The collateral risks of tax refund agents: If the agent also provides tax refund declaration services,they need to sign a "Tax Compliance Agreement",which clearly stipulates that any penalties incurred due to the agent’s operational errors (such as selecting the wrong invoices or filing declarations late) shall be borne by the agent.

3.Service disruption due to policy changes: From 2025 onwards,cross-border e-commerce enterprises will need to separately register for the "overseas warehouse export" qualification.Has the agent informed you in advance and assisted with the application free of charge?When selecting an agent,it is necessary to require that the "service response to policy changes" be included in the contract.

There are three urgent actions that can be carried out this afternoon.

• Action1:LoginDownloadthelatesttemplateofthe"RegistrationFormforForeignTradeOperators"andcheckwhethertheexistingmaterialsoftheenterprisematchtherequirements(forexample,whetherthebusinessscopeofthebusinesslicenseincludes"importandexport").
• Action2:SortoutalistofthreepotentialagenciesandverifytheirregistrationstatuswiththeMinistryofCommerceonebyone(byenteringtheagency’snameforasearch),andscreenouttheunregistered"blackagents".
• Action3:Consultwithexistingforeigntradesuppliers/industryassociations(suchaslocalimportandexportchambersofcommerce)about"recommendedagencies"toobtainreal-lifecasestudies